I can’t count how many times I’ve visited the ladies’ room on a night out, looked at my hair and squawked in horror.
I have that type of hair that means I always have to have a handy dandy comb in my handbag. Fine, but not too fine, long and VERY disobedient, it will look great for exactly two frames when someone’s trying to take a photo, and after that it looks like, as my mother tells me, that I’ve been dragged through a bush backwards.
So when ghd’s new Unplugged cordless straightener landed on my desk, I was excited.
Designed specifically to be used on the go and for travelling, the Unplugged is mini, super-light and comes with a heat-resistant case, so you can literally nip into the bathroom during a dinner, touch up your hair and no one’s the wiser. You can get 20 minutes of continuous styling out of this bad boy, and you can charge either by wall outlet or with a USB-C port (the same as the end on the new iPhone chargers).
As we all know, ghd aren’t the first in the game to come up with a cordless straightener – that honour belongs to Dyson with their Corrale model. I own a Corrale and have been using for months and I love it. So, I was interested to see how ghd’s version stacked up, and weigh up the pros and cons.
First of all, the details. It really is tiny – about 22cm in length – so will fit in your handbag super easily. The plates are still the same substantial ghd plates you’d find on your platinum, and it takes just 45 seconds to heat up thoroughly to 185 degrees,
Unlike the Corrale, which lasts 30 minutes, the Unplugged only offers 20 minutes. The key difference here is that the Corrale has been designed to be your best buddy at home, whereas the Unplugged is like your best buddy’s smaller friend, rather than replace your current straightener at home.
While perfect for touching up your hairdo while you’re out and about, or for taking away for a long weekend, the Unplugged isn’t a good choice to be your one and only hair tool. Rather, it’s an addition – a bloody handy addition – to your arsenal of hair tools.
So, the results? I’m most definitely impressed. After taking the Unplugged out and about on a couple of occasions, it really is perfect for its intended use. Knowing you can keep your hair how it’s supposed to be really is great, as well knowing you don’t even have to find a power point to plug it in.
Before After
I’ve even styled my long locks fully with the tool, and it does the usual ghd job of both straightening and curling, although it was a battle against the clock to finish my whole head.
The downsides? Much like the other ghd models, there’s no latch to snap the straighteners shut, which doesn’t really mean much but it is easier to store when the profile is more slim-lined. The problem is solved when you pop it in the case, however.
It’s also not a replacement for your usual hair tool – if you have anything more than fine fine hair, you won’t get a full straighten out of your Unplugged because every girl knows 20 minutes is just not long enough. That’s not so much a criticism however, because this is not the intended use. Touch ups aplenty, yes – full hairstyles, no.
She’s an expensive wee thing, coming in at $510. But if you have hair like mine that Just. Won’t. Stay. Put, or if you’re always out and about, like a midday touch up at work, or travelling, I reckon it’s a good investment.
Available in black and white, the ghd Unplugged is available from July 2.
